If you’re like 75% of Americans (and 49% who drink it daily), you probably love your coffee and, by extension, coffee creamer. While coffee is regarded as healthy, creamer is most assuredly not. Not only is most coffee creamer super-high in sugar and calories, it’s generally full of preservatives and other, well, crap.
So, luckily, I was recently while perusing the isles as Costco, I came across a self-proclaimed healthier and plant-based option (with energy boost!) : Laird Superfood Creamer. And, much like the other random crap I come across at Costco, I bought it.
So, this review is not in any way sponsored or promoted. I just wanted to know – is it healthier? How does it taste? And why in the hell is big-waver surfer Laird Hamilton selling creamers?
About Laird Superfood
Laird Superfood was started in 2015 when Laird Hamilton started using “different plant-based fats to his morning coffee to increase his performance on the waves. Not only did his coffee taste amazing, it kept him full and energized for hours.” You can learn more about his diet in this video and how it influenced his company.
While I don’t subscribe too much into a company’s “values”1 maybe I’m just cynical but a lot of values are just ways to try to avoid cancel culture and produce more sales, it does seem to be a prominent thing for Laird Superfood as their items are sustainably sourced. And it seems like everything is working pretty well for Laird.
After all, they are doing some pretty good business with net sales of 8.7 million dollars in the 2Q 2022. With the background out of the way, let’s get into the actual creamer.
Laird Superfood Creamer Overview
Laird produces a variety of creamer products – including cacao powder, coffee, and one with functional mushrooms 2 not the hallucinogenic kind – but we’ll just focus on the original superfood creamer. This shelf-stable product comes in a variety of flavors including pumpkin spice, vanilla, turmeric, cacao, unsweetened, and original.
I went with the original as, well, that was my only option. But not only can Laird Superfood creamer be used in coffee, but there’s no reason you can’t also use it other items like smoothies, tea, and even added to food 3 like pancakes! in the batter.
One note, there’s no added protein like in some other coffee creamers. This is not necessarily bad (or good), depending on your dietary needs.
Anyways, all of the flavors are made in the good ‘ol USA 4 always a bonus when it comes to food, contain no artificial ingredients or flavors, no refined sugars, and are soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Not only that but it’s also Non-GMO, vegan-friendly, and keto paleo-friendly.
It does (obviously) include tree nuts; after all, a coconut comes from a tree. But coconut is not a high allergen food. Overall, if you have very strict dietary needs or wants, you’re good to go.
Packaging
The actual product packaging is pretty good, in my humble designer-less opinion. The bag is attractive, with a good color combo, and the text is easily readable.
It does contain a resealable bag which is handy and, well, necessary for this kind of product. A couple of reports on Amazon mentioned issues with resealing but I had no problems.
Ingredients
So now that we know what’s not in it, what does it actually contain? Well, let’s take a look:
So as you can see it has coconut milk powder, organic coconut sugar, Aquamin, and organic extra virgin coconut oil. So, if you’re like me, you are probably wondering what the hell is Aquamin?
Made by Marigot Ltd., Aquamin is seaweed-derived 5“marine algae” as it says on the bag multi-mineral complex. According to the FAQs, it’s sourced “from the pristine waters off the coast of Iceland.” And according to this study, it’s rich in calcium, magnesium, and trace elements such as manganese, selenium, and zinc.
While I’m not food safety expert, it is classified as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) by the US FDA and has been used in different products in over 40 countries.
Nutrition Facts
If you reference the picture below, you can see a close up of the nutrition facts.
As you see, a serving size of 3/4 tsp (2g) contains 10 calories. In comparison, 2g of sugar is 8 calories and a single serving of the liquid creamer cups is in the 15-30 calorie range. So, calorie-wise it’s on par with sugar. That said, it’s probably healthier than just sugar, most of which is highly refined.
With the Superfood creamer, you get minimal carbs and some fat. Fat, contrary to popular belief, is actually necessary and good for your health. At least, the type of fat contained in the product.
The specific type of fat it contains are MCTs (type of fat – Medium Chain Triglycerides) which are beneficial in weight loss and energy production. Is a small serving going to make a difference? I doubt it (I’ll try to find some studies on this) but…if you drink coffee often and you’re using a lot of creamer or sugar, I think cutting those out could eek out some benefits. In theory, at least.
With that said, let’s take a look at the mixability.
Mixability
Since there are no additives in the product, you can see that you do get some clumping inside the bag. This isn’t an issue as A) it tends to be very minor and B) it’s super easy to break up the clumps by simply massaging the bag.
All that is fine. However, when adding the creamer into your coffee, it does not mix or dissolve super well. Here’s a quick shot of it in my cold-brew after 10 seconds of mixing with spoon:
As you can see, it doesn’t break down very well. Is that a big deal? For me, it’s not as it does dissolve (some) and I can mix a bit more before taking a drink.
Ideally, for the right consistency, you should pair this with a milk frother or some other way to do some vigorous mixing. Also, in fairness, if you put it in hot coffee, it will mix quite a bit better? Does it still clump? Yes, but not nearly as bad.
Taste & Value
Overall, Laird Superfood Creamer has a somewhat muted, sweetened, and nutty coconut taste. That makes sense as almost every ingredient is derived from a coconut. I don’t have any problems with the taste although it is different than a typical liquid creamer.
The problem I have is that you have to use quite a bit to get that taste. So, I find myself using a lot more than just a serving size to get the flavor and consistency that I want. Obviously, that means more calories and less overall servings. In turn, that makes the product quite a bit more expensive to use.
So who’s it for? Well, if you like black coffee and want a little bit extra flavor, then Superfood creamer would probably work well for you. Just a tablespoon or so (depending on how much coffee you’re drinking) will give you some sweetness and make the coffee more palatable.
But if you like a sweeter coffee-related drink, I don’t think this is product for you (unless you don’t about the price). By the time you add in a ton of the creamer to get the flavor and consistency you want, you’re back to a high-calorie drink. While the ingredients are healthier than most other options, personally, I don’t think it’d be worth the extra cost.
Recap (TL; DR)
Laird Superfood Creamer is an interesting and rather novel product in the world of coffee creamers. By way of being soy free, gluten free, dairy free and free of artificial flavors, it’s accessible to those on a keto, paleo, or vegan diet. It’s also shelf-stable and made with certified GMO-free ingredients and lower on the glycemic index than just sugar.
While the mixability is rather low, the taste is good albeit with coconut bias. I didn’t notice any more energy than, say, just black coffee.
The problem for me is that you have to use a lot of the product to get the ideal flavor and consistency. That negates some of the advantages or, at least, makes the product pretty expensive to use on a daily basis.
In summary: if you’re overall trying to eat “cleaner”, be more healthy, and don’t mind the price (and coconut tinged flavor), original superfood creamer is a good product. Recommended with just a couple caveats.
